Shloka 42
Karma-Saṃnyāsa–Karma-Yoga Saṃvāda
Renunciation and the Discipline of Action
सम्बन्ध-- पूर्वश्लोकमें इन्द्रियॉको वशर्में करके कामरूप शत्रुकों मारनेके लिये कहा गया। इसपर यह शंका होती है कि जब इन्द्रिय, मन और बुद्धिपर कामका अधिकार है और उनके द्वारा कामने जीवात्माको मोहित कर रखा है, तब ऐसी स्थितिमें वह इन्द्रियोंकोी वशमें करके कामको कैसे मार सकता है। इसपर कहते हैं-- इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्य: परं॑ मन: । मनसस्तु परा बुद्धियों बुद्धेः परतस्तु सः
arjuna uvāca | indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ | manasas tu parā buddhir buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ ||
Arjuna disse: “Dizem que os sentidos são superiores ao corpo; acima dos sentidos está a mente; acima da mente, o intelecto; e acima do intelecto está o Ser. Assim, para enfrentar o desejo—que opera por meio desses instrumentos interiores—é preciso reconhecer a hierarquia interna e buscar refúgio no Ser além do intelecto, em vez de ser impelido pelos sentidos e pela mente.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a graded inner hierarchy: senses are surpassed by mind, mind by intellect, and intellect by the Self. Therefore, overcoming desire requires moving one’s center of control upward—from sensory impulse to mental regulation, from mental fluctuation to discerning intellect, and finally grounding oneself in the Self that transcends these instruments.
After hearing that desire should be slain by mastering the senses, Arjuna raises an implicit difficulty: if desire dominates the senses, mind, and intellect, how can one control it? This verse begins the response by mapping the inner faculties and indicating where true mastery must be established.